5.10.2011

Yunak Evleri

For millions of years, mighty volcanoes erupted and spewed their contents across the land that would become the cradle of civilization. East of Istanbul, beyond Ankara, lies the moonscaped land of Cappadocia. Centuries of winds and floods eroded the sandstone and volcanic tufa into whimsical shapes which the native people carved into shelters. Many of these troglodyte dwellings are still inhabited and some have been turned into hotels. One of the most fanciful of these is Yunak Evlieri. Whittled right into a mountain, accessible only by narrow winding passageways and steps, this hotel includes a 19th century Greek mansion, six cave houses, and 30 chambers dating all the way back to the 5th and 6th centuries. Astonishing.